Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers go into the NBA playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, the highest-scoring offense during the regular season and one of the favorites for the championship.
However, Mitchell knows this season's accomplishments will be hollow if the Cavaliers can't make a deep postseason run.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to right now,” Mitchell said on Saturday as the Cavaliers prepare to host the Miami Heat in the first game of their first-round series on Sunday. “I feel like we’ve shown it (being a good team) throughout the course of this season. You’ve seen the development from everyone in this group. It comes down to taking care of business.”
This will be the third postseason for Cleveland's core group of Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks in the first round in 2023 in five games. Last year, they advanced past the first round by beating the Orlando Magic in seven games before being eliminated in the East semifinals by the eventual champion Boston Celtics in five.
There is more pressure though this time around after 64 wins in the regular season and averaging 121.9 points.
Mitchell also hopes the Cavaliers can show over the next couple weeks that they deserve more national attention.
“We don’t get the respect we deserve,” Mitchell said. “I think to be fair, we’ve shown over the course of the year who we can consistently be. We have shown we can be a high-octane team on offense and lockdown on defense.”
For the Heat, the pressure is off. A 37-win team typically doesn’t make the playoffs, nor does a team that lost 10 games in a row late in the season. And until now, there hadn’t been a No. 10 seed entering the Play-In Tournament that found a way to win two road elimination games and get into the postseason.
But here they are. And now they face a Cavs team that finished four wins back of Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA this season.
“We have an incredible appreciation and I’m so grateful that we’re in the playoffs,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re the first team to do it — why not? — to take on two road games to be able to get an invitation into this tournament. You have to respect what Cleveland has done all year long. They’ve played probably the most consistent level, them and OKC, all season long. It’s not by accident.”
There were 27 games separating the Cavs and Heat in the final regular-season standings. But one win in Cleveland can change the whole shape of the series, at least in Miami’s eyes.
“Cleveland has been No. 1 in the East all year. They’ve been having a historical season,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “For us, it’s figure out how to get one in Cleveland and worry about everything else later.”
The Cavaliers did some advance work on Miami on Thursday and Friday, but didn't ramp things up until after the Heat beat the Atlanta Hawks 123-114 in overtime on Friday night.
The compressed time schedule might rattle some coaches, but Kenny Atkinson saw it as mostly beneficial.
“When you face a team like this with their experience, it’s kind of exciting. I do think with all that being said we have to focus on ourselves. I’m kind of glad our prep was focused on us and getting back on our routine,” said Atkinson, who was named coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association on Saturday."
Cleveland goes into the playoffs with all of its key pieces healthy. Mitchell missed the final four games of the regular season due to a sprained left ankle, but has been full go in practices this week.
Atkinson used a 10-player rotation during the regular season, which is something he wants to do during the playoffs. He said that mostly depends though on how the bench players are performing.
No. 45 for Cleveland is Donovan Mitchell. No. 45 for Miami is Davion Mitchell.
They’ll be seeing some of each other in this series.
Donovan Mitchell is the Cavs’ quarterback and leader, one of the game’s best players and someone who surely got All-NBA consideration. But Davion Mitchell — an elite on-ball defender — willed the Heat past Atlanta with nine overtime points in Friday’s 123-114 win. If play-in games counted toward playoff records (and they don’t), those nine points would be a Heat postseason record for OT.
Against the other 15 teams in the postseason field, Cleveland went 30-12. That’s second-best of the playoff teams behind Oklahoma City’s 33-10 mark.
Miami went 12-30, the worst record any playoff team had against the other 15 qualifiers this season.
Cleveland shot 35.7% on 3-pointers against the Heat this season. Only the Clippers (33.7%) and Atlanta (31.2%) defended the 3-point line better against Cleveland.
But Miami forced only 9.7 turnovers on average in the three games against Cleveland.
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this story.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) leaves the court after a win against the Atlanta Hawks, after an NBA play-in tournament basketball, Friday, April 18, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson, left, congratulates Darius Garland, right, after he made a three-point shot against the Chicago Bulls during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
DENVER (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon sent the puck into traffic in front of the net. What happened next may go down as one of the biggest playoff goals he's ever “scored.”
MacKinnon got credit for a go-ahead goal with 10:56 remaining after the puck bounced off the shoulder of a Dallas player and the Colorado Avalanche staved off elimination by beating the Stars 7-4 in Game 6 on Thursday night.
It was the bounce that kept the Avalanche from being bounced. The first-round playoff series heads to Dallas for Game 7 on Saturday.
On the winning goal, MacKinnon sent a pass near the goal that Sam Steel tried to clear. But it hit the shoulder of Colin Blackwell and caromed toward the net. Goaltender Jake Oettinger couldn't corral the fluttering puck with his glove.
“Super lucky,” MacKinnon said. “Hopefully we get more of those Saturday.”
For the Stars, they're trying to “laugh it off,” Oettinger said. Same with Valeri Nichushkin's goal to start the game that hit a stick, then a skate and went in. Or Cale Makar winding up for a slap shot, only to not get much of it and have it turn into the perfect pass to Artturi Lehkonen for a goal.
“They got better bounces than us,” Oettinger said. “Just can’t make it up. Obviously, (Blackwell) is not trying to knock it in our net.”
Nichushkin has been struggling in the series and taking his frustrations out on his sticks. He got on track with two goals, including the tying tally with 13:58 remaining. Lehkonen and Martin Necas also added goals, while Josh Manson and Makar scored into an empty net.
Makar, MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and captain Gabriel Landeskog each added two assists. Mackenzie Blackwood made 22 saves to send the first-round playoff series back to Dallas.
Stars coach Pete DeBoer is 8-0 all-time in Game 7s, while the Avalanche have lost the last six times they’ve been in a decisive seventh game of a series.
Asked if he liked Game 7s, Stars coach Pete DeBoer responded: “I'd rather win in six. I like Game 7s at home — I can tell you that.”
Colorado avoided having its season end at the hands of Dallas in a Game 6 at home for a second straight postseason. Stars forward and former Avalanche player Matt Duchene ended the second-round series a year ago in double overtime.
Trailing 2-0, the Stars erupted with a four-goal second period led by Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen. Hintz had two goals and two assists, while Rantanen added a goal and three assists against his former team. The Finnish standouts are the first pair of teammates in league history to each record four points in a playoff period, according to NHL Stats.
Mikael Granlund, another Finnish player, also scored in the pivotal period. Oettinger turned back 41 shots on a night the Avalanche outshot the Stars by a 48-26 margin.
“Both teams are going to be desperate,” Rantanen said of Game 7. "It's a tight series. I'm expecting the same thing Saturday.
There was a scary moment in the second period when Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel lost an edge and slid into the boards with Jack Drury on his back. Bichsel stayed down for a moment before being helped to the bench. Bichsel returned in the third period.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, front, checks Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen, back, in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Dallas Stars right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) congratulates center Roope Hintz, after, after his goal in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas, center, is congratulated as he passes the team box after scoring in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, center, shoots against Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, left, after driving past defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin, right, in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog, bottom right, shoots the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Cody Ceci (44) and goaltender Jake Oettinger, left, cover in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) shoots the puck past Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) as Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) covers the net in the first period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Dallas Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel, center, is helped off the ice by trainers after being injured in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, center top, celebrates after driving past Colorado Avalanche defenseman Ryan Lindgren, front left, and center Charlie Coyle (10) to score in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz, left, celebrates after scoring with center Mikael Granlund in the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, front right, reacts after the puck went in the net past Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger, back right, as defenseman Thomas Harley looks on for the go-ahead goal awarded to Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon in the third period of Game 6 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, right, celebrates after being awarded a goal with left wing Artturi Lehkonen, center, as Dallas Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin reacts in the third period of Game 6 of an NHL first-round hockey playoff series Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
